Utopia headphones and mainline?

[AllanMarcus]

Anyone try this combo and have comments?

[Paul Birkeland]

A local friend to me has a pair on the way, and I'll have to see if I can borrow them for a few days when he next heads out of town. 

[AllanMarcus]

Awesome!  Post impressions soon. I'm hoping for a "March Mainline" sale.

[xcortes]

Will be interesting to hear your experience with them Paul!

[Paul Birkeland]

Well, Craig actually brought them by today, but they are the Focal Elear, not the Utopia.  I can say that in terms of power and impedance, these are a really good match for what the Mainline has to offer.  While they would work well out of the SEX amp, I don't believe the extra power will be helpful, especially compared to the advantages presented by the Mainline. 

If these had been out when I bought my HD-800's, I might've thought twice about that purchase.

[AllanMarcus]

The utopia and Elear have the same impedance and sensitivity rating. I suppose that's a positive sign relative to your comments on the Elear and the mainline.

[AllanMarcus]

wow. I'm listening to my Utopia through my Crack (Mac -> Bimby -> Crack). I love it! It works, at least for me. All the lushness, bass impact, and staging that I wanted. My analytical hearing isn't that great, so some might take issue with what I'm hearing, but I like it and that's all that matters to me.

Now if the mainline is significantly better than the crack, I gotta get me one.

[AllanMarcus]

wow. I'm listening to my Utopia through my Crack (Mac -> Bimby -> Crack). I love it! It works, at least for me. All the lushness, bass impact, and staging that I wanted. My analytical hearing isn't that great, so some might take issue with what I'm hearing, but I like it and that's all that matters to me. Maybe not for EDM and really bass heavy tunes, like Royals (Lorde), but for general rock, jazz, and classical, YES!

Now if the mainline is significantly better than the crack, I gotta get me one.

[Adrian]

I'm thinking the S.E.X or the Mainline are better suited for these Focal HPs.
Both are 80 ohm phones and may not be the best match for the high impedance Crack.
Although, I have no doubt they sound great.

[Paul Birkeland]

IMO, the Mainline is an improvement over the Crack on just about all the headphones I've ever tried (and the Crack is my design, the Mainline is not!).

-PB

[AllanMarcus]

Sorry to post to an old thread, but today I finally got to hear a mainline with my utopia.  I also heard a mogwai and a few other tube amps. I think the mainline held its own pretty well. While I sold my crack a long time ago, I’m building a new crack now. I know I said I liked the crack with utopia, but I was overly enthusiastic. The bass was a bit muddy with that combination. I did like the crack as pre to help get a little tube warmth, when needed.

With the mainline, the bass is very tight and impactful. I listed to a mogwai special edition, and it might have had a tighter bass, but it’s also considerably more expensive. Same with a number of Eddie Current amps.

I’m not sure I’m ready to take on another project just yet, but I’m pretty sure a mainline is in my future.

[Paul Birkeland]

80 Ohms is a little low for use with the Crack. 

[AllanMarcus]

80 Ohms is a little low for use with the Crack.

Agreed.

Mainline ordered! Great sale price. Thanks BH

[Doc B.]

Thanks Allen, and thank to everyone else who has ordered. Holy smokes, I had no idea we would be getting so many orders!